The second-oldest motorsports event in the country, the Falken Tire Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) had its 83rd running in late June. Pikes Peak, one of Colorado's premier Fourteeners, is known as "America's Mountain." It can be seen from hundreds of miles away and has attracted and inspired people for thousands of years. The PPIHC became part of the mountain's history in 1916, when Rea Lentz won the first race to the top in just under 21 minutes. Since then, 15 classes of vehicles have been added to this legendary race, with ATVs joining in '93. On the level of the Baja 1000 and the Paris to Dakar, the PPIHC has become so popular even ESPN televises it in more than six countries.
The 12.4-mile paved and gravel course is 20 feet wide and has 156 turns without guardrails or barriers to prevent racers from flying off the edge and down one of the 1000-foot dropoffs. The temp drops from a comfortable 75 degrees at 9402 feet to a cold 20 degrees or less at 14,110 feet. The hillclimb is one of the most challenging races in the world. Racers come from around the globe to challenge this goliath with the hopes of breaking the current record of 10:04.06 set in the early '90s by New Zealander Rod Millen.
This death-defying race has taken its share of lives, including a veteran official this year during a practice run before the event. Official Henry Bresciani of Colorado Springs was giving drivers the finish flag at the summit when a mini-sprint car driven by Jay Stewart struck and killed him. To keep the event safe for nonparticipants, spectators are not allowed to move up or down the course until the event is completed, and none are allowed between Devil's Playground and the top of the mountain.
This year 20 Pro ATV riders qualified-an impressive number considering several drivers in multiple classes didn't make the cut or broke down during practice. The quads hit the course at mid-morning, and the fans got an awe-inspiring treat as the largest of all the divisions roared up the mountain. John Stallworth on his Yamaha Banshee was clocked at more than 95 mph at the Halfway Picnic Grounds. Compared with the other divisions, such as the Rally America Car Division, which topped out with a time of 12:27.672, the Pro quads had a winning time of 12:23.175-just a few seconds slower than the supermoto bikes.
It was an impressive day for the ATV division, and I believe we can expect more participants next year. The under-2-second spread of the podium finishers was a first for the PPIHC.
Stallworth, of Wichita, Kansas, won the hillclimb with an impressive 12:23.175. "Overall, it was a very fast runup. I had a slow start, then began to make it up. The turns were a little loose at the bottom and got better toward the top. I made my way around Yoshimune Shirai, and then later I ran down and powered around Jim Goertz for the win," Stallworth explained. He credited his Banshee's performance to the phenomenal horsepower produced by his aftermarket Cheetah Cub cylinders.
Finishing close behind Stallworth was Jim Goertz with a time of 12:24.774. "Toward the top, I saw John [Stallworth] and Yoshimune coming up behind me, so I poured on the coals. About a mile or so from the top John overpowered me and held the lead. Along with a new lightweight frame we had built this year, I ran a Trinity-built Banshee Cheetah engine with a power-valve kit. A big thanks to Vortex Valves for helping us get the horsepower we needed to reach the top," he said. "This was the first time we ran this engine and didn't have time to run it on the dyno, so we were expectedly down on horsepower."